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High school standout critically hurt in crash
By JAMAL THALJI and TAMARA LUSH © St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001 NEW PORT RICHEY -- On Tuesday afternoon, Jimmy Priest promised his best friend, Kyle Durocher, that he would pick him up later that night to hang out at the mall and watch a softball game at Ridgewood High. Durocher went to track practice, and Priest drove off. As Durocher drove home a little later, at about 3 p.m., he noticed a bad car crash on U.S. 19. "Traffic was backed up on Congress (Street) all the way from Massachusetts (Avenue)," said Durocher, 15, "and we were like, we hope it's nobody we know. We didn't think anything of it." But he did know the victim; Priest, who was driving home from school in his gold Pontiac Bonneville, was hit by a Ford Expedition. The 16-year-old was driving near Lark Lane when his car went out of control, said New Port Richey Police Officer Keith Campbell. The Bonneville crossed over the median and into the northbound lanes of U.S. 19, when it was struck by a 1998 Ford Expedition driven by Jesus Gonzalez, 29, of Tampa. Priest was unconscious at the scene, Campbell said. The teen was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where he was in critical condition with head trauma, said Ridgewood High School principal Art O'Donnell. Campbell said the size of the Expedition sport utility vehicle contributed to the severity of the injury to Priest and the damage to his car. Priest's car also was struck by a 1991 Dodge driven by James Ginther, 41, also of Tampa. Ginther was not injured; Gonzales and a passenger in the Expedition, 35-year-old Robert Manning, were taken to Community Hospital in New Port Richey. Gonzalez was treated and released. Manning still is a patient there, but hospital staff would not disclose his condition Wednesday night. The crash still is under investigation, authorities said. School officials said Priest is an excellent student, and was given the responsibility of being an aide in the main office this year, even though he is a sophomore. "We hope and pray that he's okay," O'Donnell said. "We can't afford to lose kids like that." Many students and teachers at Ridgewood High expressed surprise and weariness Wednesday afternoon over the school's latest tragedy. Sophomore Brandon Bittiker spent Saturday riding with his friend Priest to Club Extreme in Holiday. On Wednesday morning he first heard the news about Priest's accident from a teacher. "We were like, another person?" said Bittiker, 16. "Because there always seems to be a lot of tragedy at our school." Football coach Wayne Parzik said Priest's accident reminds him of another school tragedy involving a Ridgewood athlete: Ashley Morrison, on Dec. 12. Morrison, a 16-year-old basketball and volleyball standout, died after contracting encephalitis. "A lot of people were really hurt," Parzik said. "I had a lot of people stop by my office this morning (to talk about it.) It's real abrupt when you have someone like Ashley Morrison who happened to pass away not too long ago and was a great kid, and now James Priest is in serious condition. That's rough to take." Priest was the starting quarterback on Ridgewood's junior varsity football team this past season, and earned a promotion to varsity. Injuries forced Priest into the starting varsity lineup in the last game of the season on Nov. 10. Playing quarterback, Priest helped Ridgewood to a 26-14 win over Hudson High, helping the school to a 4-6 record, its best record in five years. He completed 7-of-14 passes for 104 yards and threw two touchdowns. "After the season was over I told him he would be our No. 1 man," Parzik said, "and we were really looking forward to him playing quarterback for us." "He's a great guy," Durocher said of his friend Priest. "He's an athlete, funny, fun-going, kind of crazy. We just did a lot of funny stuff together." Parzik said Priest worked hard in the football program, and that his parents are both very active in the school. His father, James Priest Jr., is running for Port Richey City Council. "(Jimmy's) a real good kid, real good to work with," Parzik said. "His dad is real active around the school in support of the program. All the teachers like him. He's easy to get along with, he's enthusiastic, he's a real decent kid." Parzik said his admiration for students like 16-year-old Morrison and Priest makes tragedies likes these all the harder. "I guess you might say I have the good fortune to be associated with both these young people," Parzik said. "But the worst part is having to go through this type of situation."
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